Despite popular images of mothers cooing over their newborns, the reality is that most women feel overwhelmed at first. Whether it’s navigating the unknowns of new motherhood or caring for a newborn with a toddler underfoot, one thing is certain: new mothers need help. Postpartum services are customized to your needs and include:
- Assisting with breast and bottle feeding
- Discussing rest and nutrition needs
- Supporting your emotional needs.
- Helping you and Family understanding the ‘baby blues’ and postpartum depression
- Building confidence in your ability to care for your child; teaching basics of infant care such as bathing, dressing, diapering, and feeding
- Helping organize areas for infant care
- Light housekeeping such as changing bedding, preparing meals, doing laundry, running errands
- 1 complimentary Craniosacral Therapy session
- Handling phone calls and visitors
- Making referrals to health care providers as needed
- Family/Sibling Adjustment
- Helping you get the rest you deserve
Postpartum services are offered at $35/hr for daytime support and $40-45/ for overnight support and are available the first 16-20 weeks after the delivery of your child. All services are customized to address the unique needs of each woman and family.
I was recently interviewed by Ann Kirchner, Minneapolis Pregnancy Health Examiner.
See the text of the interview on her blog entry, The Value of a Postpartum Doula.
By Susan Gower
Parenting your new baby is the most natural thing in the world, or so everyone tells you. Yet from the moment you bring your baby home, or maybe even before, the challenges of parenting are unavoidable. You may be finding that parenting is more difficult than you could possibly have imagined. But what if you think you should know what to do, but the truth is, you have no idea. What if you are too embarrassed to ask for help, or you don’t know who to ask?
How do we learn to how to be a parent? It is one of the most important jobs we will ever have, yet we don’t learn it in school. Until fairly recently, most people raised their children in the midst of family groups, grandparents and aunts and uncles who had long experience with babies and children. But now, many people have little or no experience with babies and young children, until, that is, they have one of their own. (more…)
Jess at OHmama posted this on her blog
In praise of Doulas, part two: Postpartum Doulas
When I found out at 20 weeks into my pregnancy that I was expecting twins, I immediately sought out a local Mothers of Multiples club and posted a question to the experienced twin mamas on their web discussion board: What do you wish you’d have known or done differently when your twins were born? What do I need to know?
There was lots of different advice offered, all of it helpful in some way. But the one thing that literally every single person said the same was, “GET HELP. Don’t try to do this on your own!” Of course the best option is to have family and friends spend as much time helping out as possible. But after that, people recommended a postpartum doula for the first 8-10 weeks and a nanny/mother’s helper after that.
I have to admit, I knew a lot about birth doulas but almost nothing about postpartum doulas. I did some research on the Childbirth Collective website and read some profiles. I spoke with my birth doula, Sarah, who recommended Margaret Owens. We interviewed her, it was a great fit, and we contracted with her to come two nights a week from 10pm – 7am, and one weekday from 11am – 3pm.
Read the rest of the article
